


I bet

by SalmonWM



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Happy Ending, Langst, M/M, kinda major character death, klance, klangst, major langst with a big L, pigde being the only sensible one, red and blue with shared custody
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-07
Updated: 2020-09-07
Packaged: 2021-03-07 05:28:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,069
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26347897
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SalmonWM/pseuds/SalmonWM
Summary: Lance makes a bet with Pidge on the future of the Red Lion.Takes place before Pidge finds her family & Keith has JUST started out with the Blades.Major LANGST, kinda major character death, only one scene. Happy ending.
Relationships: Keith/Lance (Voltron)
Comments: 1
Kudos: 79





	I bet

"Hey Pigde, wanna check out this thing I did? Or maybe you'd like to play that game we bought? Oh, by the way, I think Hunk is planning something special for dinner, maybe we can bribe him to-"

Pidge stopped him with a sharp movement of her hand, placing it right between Lance and her.

She did not want this irritating attention now, not when she wanted to upgrade Rover. She tilted her head to look at the Cuban, and frowned her brows.

"I don't care, okay? Buzz off, you're annoying me,"

Lance didn't say anything at first, only raising his eyebrows and shifting the weight from one leg to the other. Apparently, he wasn't going to leave just yet.

He brushed his hair back in a brief moment.

"You know, I think you're the only person in this ship that doesn't adore my presence. Too bad, for I AM pretty charming.." he kept going, and Pidges eye began twitching.

"Lance, I am PRETTY sure nobody here thinks that. Not even Katlenecker!" she spat out, not really caring how harsh her words would sound. Lance frowned, shifting weights again.

Then he shrugged his shoulders and began to walk in circles.

Pidge knew he was going to say something sassy, and prepared for the outcome to completely silence him.

She might have to explain herself for Shiro later, but it would be worth it.

"Duh, of course I know that," Lance said.

It caught Pidge completely off guard.

What?

"I know that," he said, now turning his head towards her, "- I'm just a replacement until Keith gets back."

Pidge had to blink a few times before she could respond.

She was almost certain this was a joke; Lance thought of himself as high as the sky! To himself, he was a god! Where did this come from?

"Lance, what the-"

"Hey, let's have a bet!" Lance cut her off, now smiling like he'd come up with a great idea.

She knew that Lances ideas were almost always bad one, but they were fun. Maybe it actually was a joke..?

She nodded in silence, still judging, but less wary.

Lance accepted it as good enough.

"We'll bet about Shiros strategy when Keith returns to the castle! What's your thought?" Lance grinned, and it LOOKED genuine, but the question seemed to weird.

Well, she only had to answer what came natural, right?

"I think he'll assign Keith to be the leader of the infiltration teams. He's basically been trained to do this for months, so we'll need him where he's best for the team."

"What about the lions? Do you think Keith will pilot Black again? He wasn't half bad when he had to, right?"

Lance plopped down onto a chair close to Pidge, and opened his pocket to reveal two lollipops.

He handed one to Pidge, who accepted it with a smile.

"The lions.. Well, I think he'd pilot Black, if absolutely necessary. But mainly; no lion. I think he made that clear last time." Pidge shrugged her shoulders, locked her eyes on the lollipop and began to tear the paper off. It was bright red inside. _Sweet,_ she thought. Strawberry.

"Do you wanna know what I think?" Lance leaned back in the chair and looked up at the castles roof.

"I think Shiro will give Red back to Keith. Of course, Allura will keep Blue since she's made much more progress. Keith is a way better paladin than me when it comes to Red, and we should always have the best possible team available, right? Those two are so great, it'd be a shame to have either of them staying back on the ship, believe me. Also, Shiro definitely favors Keith over me."

"What about you then?" Pidge didn't like this hypothesis.

"I'll just be put on hold. I might be of help for Coran, but we'll see." Pidge was silent.

"Lance, you are wrong. Shiro would never put you off duty like that-" She was disrupted by Lances loud comment.

"If I'm wrong, I'll be silent around you and never do anything to annoy you ever again. I'll even help you find your big brother and dad. I know how much family means to you.." Lance finished the last sentence with the softest voice she'd ever heard. And it hit her hard.

She was silent for a moment, thinking long and hard about her lost family.

"And what do you want, if you win?"

"Not much. I just want you to get me some pictures of my family. You are the only one I can ask for this kind of help, as you're the only tech-wizard we have onboard," Lance grinned.

His smile put Pidge a bit more at ease. She turned to look at the unfinished Rover in her lap, then up at the roof before she nodded an agreement to the bet.

The Cuban boy smiled, putting the girl at ease.

"By the way, when I'm done with Rover, we can play that game again! We never finished it, did we?"

Lance nodded as he walked towards the door, throwing his hand in the air as a goodbye before he turned his back on her. The feeling in her chest was a bit lighter, but something was smoldering inside her guts.

Suddenly, a sharp sound pierced her ears, making her jump in surprise.

It was her intercom.

Allura had sent her a short message with the only words written "Keith comes back next month". She was somewhat glad, as they all knew how damaging the Blade was for Keith.

Everyone wanted him back to the castle, back to the lions; back to them. Shortly after she received the message, another one popped up.

It read:

"The bet will be over in a month."

She only hoped that Lances theory was wrong.

…

The corridors were empty.

Everyone was walking around in the living room, happy the meeting was finished. They nibbled on Hunks cookies, praising it while glunking down Corans hideous soft drinks.

Pidge stood in a corner with her plate filled to the brim with space cookies that Hunk had insisted she must eat. Apparently, he was betting with Coran who could get rid of the snacks fastest.

She was looking out for Lance. Her eyes searched the room, only to see nothing that looked like a lanky, tall Cuban boy.

Until she turned to find him the second he exited through the doors, on the other side of the living room.

Quickly, she put the plate on a table and ran towards the exit he used.

She had not seen him after the meeting, but when she checked his room, he wasn't there either.

In the end, the living room was the only place he could be, since he was so obedient to Shiro's wish for having ALL the paladins greet the new aliens after every meeting.

"LANCE!" she yelled the moment the doors swooshed again behind her.

Ten feet opposite her walked the blue paladin. He froze from her scream.

Her feet walked toward him like a lieutenants; fast paced, aggressively, and brimmed with purpose.

She caught up with him in no time as he was still frozen in place.

"Lance.." Now her voice was soft. It was soft, but also filled with frustration. Slowly, Lance turned around toward her but averted eye contact.

They were both silent.

Pidges hand hesitated when it moved to her hip for the paper she'd stuffed inside the armor. Slowly, she pulled it out and reached the hand out for Lance.

It unfolded while in her hand, and revealed to be multiple papers folded multiple times.

Lance lifted his head enough for Pidge to see his now bland eyes.

"I am sorry that Shiro did this to you," she said, trembling with frustration.

At the meeting, Shiro spoke about the new plan that he and Allura planned with the Blade and revealed the big picture to the rest of the coalition.

Everyone agreed on the terms and conditions, and the plan was set.

Then the big bang happened.

"I'd also like an applause for an original paladin to return to Voltron, and wish him good luck as the pilot of the Red lion!" he had said, loud and clear while making everyone look at Keith.

Pidge felt her stomach twist, and stared at Lance.

By the look on his face, he had not been told in advance.

Despite this reveal, he kept his composure well; nobody noticed anything. He didn't object, he didn't tap Shiro on the side for help, he didn't make a commotion.

He didn't say anything.

Pidge was sure she was the only one who noticed. Hunk might have a slight idea, but was too busy winning his bet.

So was Coran, and Allura and Shiro was busy with the rest of the plan. Keith didn't even look in Lances direction but kept chatting with the Blade of Marmora.

Lance grabbed the folded pieces of paper and unfolded it in front of her.

"That was fast," he chuckled. His lips tightened, and Pidge just wanted to hug him.

"I actually found them a week after we made the bet," she started, "- since we both miss our family, I thought I'd give you these regardless of who won."

Her voice was trembling. She didn't like that.

"Lance, I am so sorry-"

"It's okay Pidge," Lance smiled.

He tilted his head and smiled.

"I kinda predicted this, so it's not a big deal. I'll go put these in my room, okay?"

His face was so grim. But he still smiled.

She was SO ready to throw a fist in Shiro's face after this.

…

"We're ready to begin the mission, everybody; to your lions!" Shiro yelled as everyone got up from the couches.

Pidge kept rubbing the robot in her lap with a cloth, and refused to stand up.

Shiro gives her a look, but she doesn't move.

"Has anyone seen Lance?"

Allura asks as she walks into the room. Her paladin uniform is clean, on and ready. Everyone shakes their heads in unison, except Pidge.

"He's probably hauled up in his room playing that game," Keith chuckles.

Pidges eye twitch.

"Well, he's not really needed for this mission, so we'll let him be. Come on now, get to your-"

**"How much of a quiznaking idiot can you be, Shiro?!"**

Everyone froze in shock by Pidge's yelling. Now she's standing up in a fighting position, ready to strike.

She stares right into Shiros eyes.

She's had enough.

"Don't you see?! Lance isn't here! He's gone! He's been gone for DAYS, but you all thought he was off playing video games! You guys are idiots, ALL OF YOU!" Her heart was beating hard, almost like it wanted to jump out of her chest.

Her whole body rose and dropped in sync with the beat.

"Pidge, calm down-"

 **"I WON'T CALM DOWN!** Lance made a bet with me about whether Keith would get back Red or not, and I LOST! Lance knew he would lose his spot as a paladin, and you Shiro, didn't even **TELL HIM** that you'd laid him off!" She sneered at her team leader. Keith took a step closer to her and lifted his hand, like she was some kind of animal he wanted to tame.

She was just as dangerous, though.

"Pidge, I thought Lance was okay with me piloting Red? He seemed fine when I asked.."

"Of course he seemed fine! You are the most unstable person in this room; none of us knows what you'd do if he told you the truth! Or did you forget what you did to Iverson?!"

Pidge looked out towards the only "window" in the living room. She demanded Allura to check the castle for Lances aura, only to find nothing.

"That is certainly strange. All the lions are in their hangars, so he hasn't run off with any of them.."

"Check the cargo ships," Pidge demanded. Allura tapped her buttons, and a screen flew up with a map of all ships in the castle. Allura whispered.

"We are missing one."

Everyone was silent.

"We need to get him back," Keith pleaded.

...

"Keith, can you see anything?"

Shiro yelled as the lions flew through space, wavering their eyes in search for the lost cargo ship.

Pidge was still furious, Hunk was anxious, and Keith was.. Concentrated.

His lion blasted through the meteors underneath them, getting more careless for each stone he passed. Nobody said anything about it.

Keith only growled in response to Shiro before he kept flying faster.

They had been flying for hours, and the paladins were getting tired. Allura was unsure about what to do; retrieve the paladins to rest, or keep looking?

She was actually surprised they had not found the ship yet – although it had been days since it launched, it was still a slow machine.

She hoped it hadn't run into any problems.

"Princess! We have received a message on intercom! Would you like me to pass it over?" Corans voice cut the silence with the paladins.

Allura was grateful, and approved.

"I have to warn you Princess. I am unsure of who the sender is.." Coran added, a clear doubt in his voice.

No worries. The princess had taken a choice; every paladin received the small screen.

It was purple.

"Hello, paladins of Voltron," a voice said enthusiastically.

The screen showed an unknown alien, possibly Galra, based on his skin colour.

But White hair?

"Who are you?" Allura asked, not budging, but trying her best to put on a smile. She really hoped this was a random encounter.

"Me? Oh why, I thought you knew of me?" The purple alien laughed, smiling at the camera.

"I am Lotor, prince of the Galra Empire."

Alluras eyes widened. This can't be! They had just began the inspection for Lotor, they had little to no information about him!

Ready to yell abort mission and fly back to the castle, she heard a rather familiar, muffled sound in the background of the videoscreen.

No.

She hoped she heard wrong.

"I believe I need no introduction to your team of paladins, princess, but I am not here to pay my respects. I am here for a bargain." He chuckled. Allura could hear Pidge and Keith yell something, while Hunk mumbled something about getting away. He too felt like something bad would happen.

"What do you want?!" Allura hissed, clearly hotheaded now. Keith and Pidge fell silent to her line.

"Oh, nothing much. Just a small trade, that is all."

In front of the lions, a huge Galra ship appeared from nothing; it had either wormholed or turned off a camouflage function.

Pidge gasped in awe; she'd never seen such a huge thing wearing a full camouflage before. Her gasp were quickly restrained once she realized it herself. A mumbled sorry were audible.

The ships presence really did the trick. Who were inside? Was Lotor there? They shouldn't do anything yet..

"Shiro, we have to take it down! Let's form Voltro-"

"No, we won't!" Allura silenced Keith. Shiro was silent, although he probably wanted the same as Keith. They apparently didn't have the same feeling as Hunk and her.

"You know, I actually wanted a lion; but of course, not just any lion, and not just the black," he grinned, "- I want the blue."

"Why the blue lion?" Pidge asked before Allura, as the princess had trouble swallowing.

"Oh, no reason, really. I just thought I'd trade the blue paladin with the blue lion; but it seems as if you are in no need for a trade. You have already replaced him, I see." Lotor changed position in his chair on the screen, pushing his long hair back in an elegant movement.

He turned to face someone behind him.

"Look at that, my friend. They have already replaced you!" he chuckled and took a step to the left; revealing a beat-up Lance chained from the roof.

Allura could hear the paladins gasp. Each and every one of them.

"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO HIM?!" Keith yelled. His voice sounded restrained, barely containing his emotions.

"YOU'LL PAY FOR THIS, YOU SHITHEAD!" Pidge screamed, already sobbing.

Shiro was silent.

"Me? Oh, I haven't done anything to him. This is all your fault. Is this really a Paladin of Voltron? From what I see, there's no spot for him to fill. He is clearly not of use to you anymore."

"That is not true," Shiro growled. "That's not true at all."

"But it IS true! How long has it been; certainly not weeks! It's been DAYS, and you already have a replacement! I bet you can even form Voltron! You have no need for him anymore, it is clear!"

Lotor licked his lips, stared into the camera and brushed his hair back again. He took a few steps back, showing his whole body now. Lance was barely breathing just a few feet away from him.

Lance didn't move. He was partly standing, partly hanging. The clothes he wore were not altean; that was sure. The black and purple suit only screamed Galra.

It made Allura sick.

"Allura, we need to get him back!" Keith yelled. The small screens showing the other paladins nodded.

"We already have a full set of paladins!"

Keith caught the gangs attention. "We can form Voltron and beat him. We'll get La-" Keith lost it, spitballing and forming incoherent sentences, trying his best, only to be interrupted. 

"Are you fucking kidding me?!" Pidge joined the scream competition.

"We are NOT losing him now! Not again!"

"Keith, Pidge; I truly am sorry, but we can't give up any lions! We don't have enough information about Lotor. It could be a trap!"

Allura regretted to say it, but it was true.

If they gave up Blue, they could not form Voltron, and the universe would be at stake. She could not risk it.

"I believe you are refusing my trade?" Lotor asked, still standing in the same spot.

Allura nodded. Lotor shrugged his shoulders.

"Then I can dispose of the paladin for you."

The next thing they saw would haunt their dreams.

Lotor picked up a sword lying outside the range of the camera. Slowly walking up to the paladin, he rose his arm.

When it was as high as his hip, he jumped in for the kill.

Blood came everywhere.

They saw everything. The chains disappeared in a white light, making Lance fall to the ground. His scream was hoarse, barely audible.

He wheezed, blood gushing from his mouth. The camera caught it at the perfect angle; despite the terrible act, it looked so aesthetically.

It horrified them.

The paladins screamed. Allura heard sobbing, screaming, loud bangs. She heard names. She heard a name. The name was repeated.

Lotor shook his sword, getting some of the wickedly red blood off. He then proceeded to grab Lance by his hair, showing the now bloody throat. You could tell he could still breathe.

It was still possible to save him.

Allura wanted to save him.

With a swift movement, he was done. No more wheezing. They heard a body drop to the floor.

The Galra now proceeded to walk over to the camera, smiling. He tilted his head a bit, and opened his mouth.

"I will now ask you to give me Voltron."

Allura screamed.

"We will NEVER give you Voltron!"

Her lungs raged as she swung her hand into her lions dashboard. The small screen showing the Galra prince was now gone, as she had cut communication with the lion's blast. There were sounds everywhere.

"Princess, we have to do something!"

"We have to form Voltron!" yelled Shiro, and the paladins voices fell silent for a moment.

"WE CAN'T FORM VOLTRON WHEN THEY JUST KILLED LANCE!" Pidge shouted.

"We have to. If we want to win this war, we have to form Voltron! Yes we lost an important person, but that can't stop us!" Shiro tried his best to keep his team together.

Allura agreed, to everyones surprise. Even Keith gasped. They heard a loud thump, apparently from Red.

Allura wasn't having a ruckus now, not when an entire Galra ship was in front of them, and armed.

"If we want to properly give Lance the goodbye he deserves, we have to get him to earth. For that, we need to form Voltron! We need that strength to get him back!"

Alluras speech vibrated.

They all knew how much honoring the dead was for her; remember that her paladin suit were pink. It was made to honor the fallen ones. They heard her sobs, almost inaudible.

Even Pidge didn't say anything against her now.

A burial on earth sounded great.

"Well then, before we change our minds," Shiro began, waking everyone from their deep thoughts.

"Let's form Voltron!"

…

The lions roared.

Shiro yelled, Keith yelled, Pidge yelled, Hunk yelled, Allura yelled. Coran did his best too.

While they transformed, the huge ship in front of them began to let out fighters; they really were going to fight the Galra ship.

The battle was intense.

But something was wrong.

"Keith, dodge that shot!" He didn't.

"Pidge, shoot that ship!" She missed.

"Hunk, STOMP IT FOR GOODNESS SAKE," He missed his shot.

The whole of Voltron were unstable. They either weren't fast enough or their aim was off. Shiro kept yelling.

"What is wrong with you guys?!"

"I know that you are used to loosing loved ones Shiro, but WE AREN'T! Of course we have trouble being concentrated when we literally JUST SAW our friend die! There's no way we can fight like this!" Pidge was mad. So, so mad. There really was no way for her to focus as much as needed.

While they fought, the main Galra ship aimed at them.

"Pidge, we can't have you lose concentration now. Snap into it!" Shiro just didn't know when to shut up.

Even Hunk was getting annoyed and frustrated as he sat in his lion, face full of salty, angry tears.

As he looked out, he screamed.

Of course, he was too slow to warn the others, as everyone else.

The lions fell apart, crashing into the other Galra ships around them. Allura could hear her team growl in pain, but they weren't unconscious at least.

"Paladins! Are you alright?" she asked, hopeful that they could still fight. She looked around, and decided.

"We will try and bring them down without Voltron! Use all that your lions can create; fight them like animals!" Everyone acknowledged, happy that they'd somehow make it through with her speech.

Happy to finally collect the group again, she grabbed her consoles to fly over the ship; someone had to get Lance out of there.

But the consoles didn't work.

Didn't work?

"Blue?" she whispered, trying to get an answer back. Everything was lit, she WAS online, right? She tried again, softer. Didn't work.

Then harder, firmer, louder.

None.

"BLUE!" she yelled, feeling frustrated.

"What's wrong, princess?" Shiro asked, his voice grated. They were losing connection.

"I don't know, Blue won't react!" she said, irritation in her voice.

As she hit her fist on the dashboard, the blue lion let out a roar, and took off, making Allura jump in surprise. At least she was up and running, but there seemed to be no way to control her.

The princess did what she could; hitting buttons, drag the consoles to the sides, up and down in order to get a reaction; a sense of control.

The lion was attacking the Galra, no doubt. Blue used techniques different from herself, techniques that she would never have thought of!

But shortly after, the lion did a sudden turn.

As she turned, Allura saw that she was headed straight to the main Galra ship.

And the ship was turning.

"Shiro! The ship!" she yelled in distress.

"The ship is turning to wormhole out of here!"

"Say what now?" She heard Hunks voice comment, before Shiro took over the conversation.

"There is nothing for us to do. If it wormholes, we won't know where it will end up! Let's get back to the castle and track it from there-"

The communication went blank.

The blue lion cut her communication! She was getting dangerously close to the ship now.

What was it planning to do?!

Seconds before the ship began worm-holing, Blue slowed down, and grabbed onto the ship, just like a cat. Her claws crushed the ships outside, giving her a strong grip.

The seconds it took to wormhole felt infinite.

As they reached the other side, Allura felt a panic sneak up on her. What to do now? She was alone with a huge Galra ship, and without backup.

Her hands shook.

Suddenly, the energy around the lion disappeared.

Allura grabbed the consoles again, unsure if it would actually work this time.

But it did!

Blue lit up again and she was now in full control of the lion! She let out a deep sigh. What a relieve, she thought.

Now she had to contact the others.

"Coran? Coran, do you hear me? Can ANYONE hear me?" She tried to touch the screens, only to find no readings or any signs.

Then a signal appeared.

"Allura?"

She was so happy she could cry.

"Keith!"

"Where are you? I thought I was the only one, I'm so glad you're here!" he sounded so genuinely happy. Thank god they weren't alone out here.

But why here? And where was that?

The two paladins met under the Galra ship, making sure it truly was them and not another scheme by Lotor.

They were real.

"I suppose you don't know where we are, or what Keith?" Allura mumbled, trying to find a constellation she recognized. She didn't.

They really had to be far away from home..

"Actually, I think I know where we are.." Keith replied, not sure if Alluras question was a rhetorical one or not.

"What?"

"I.. I think this might be the milky way. Like, my own galaxy." He said, slowly.

WHAT?

"But why would the Galra – prince Lotor – come here?"

Keith shrugged his shoulders. His brain didn't have the capacity to work this out. Also he had literally no idea why this had happened.

Turns out, Red did exactly the same as Blue.

They had no idea why only Red and Blue chose to follow the Galra.

As they spoke about their situation and how to get away without getting the Galras attention, they heard a loud bang above them.

With quick reflexes, they flew off without checking for the source and cause, only to realize something had been sent out of the ship.

It looked like a pod, or capsule of some sort.

Allura brightened up.

It could be lance.

But knowing the Galra, it could just as much be a bomb; since they just killed an earthling, they could conquer their planet too.

Allura was in distress.

"It might be Lance! Let's check it out, please. If it's him, we should retreive him; we can deal with the Galra another time." Keith's voice tried its best to sound reasonable. She figured he too thought it might be a bomb.

If it was, they should at least avert it from hitting earth.

Before they could even move, both Red and Blue lightened up, roared and leaped towards the capsule.

Now they knew for sure.

That was Lance.

It's Lance.

It had to be Lance.

The lions, BOTH OF THEM, roared at it. It's Lance.

Allura took a deep breath.

"Keith, it's-"

"Lance. Yes, I heard that." Keith sounded like he smiled, grinned on the other side of the intercom. Allura was glad to hear that.

Or she was happy to think he was glad.

The lions entered the ozone layers, going faster. They followed the capsule, not really caring about the Galra ship behind them that might potentially kill them.

Thanks to Pidge's little upgrade, all the lions had an invincible cloak; they were grateful beyond words. The lions shook from the turbulence as they almost caught up with the capsule.

According to Keith, the capsule was heading for Cuba, some place by the ocean. He seemed to be a bit nervous about the blue parts of the planet. Was it poisonous, she wondered?

"Do you think the capsule will float?" he asked her while the lions maneuvered downhill.

Allura honestly didn't know. They left it with that.

The capsule landed on a beach.

A beach only a few meters from the blue liquid. Keith seemed relieved, which put Allura at ease too. Maybe the liquid WAS poisonous.

They landed the lions between a few trees, giving shelter and a good hiding spot in case the beach wasn't deserted. As they stepped out, Keith breathed in the air, and he seemed so.. Peaceful.

And she could totally relate; if she could return to her own planet, she would feel happy about breathing in the same air. But that was not important now.

They only breathed in the air for a second before they began running.

They ran towards the capsule that were painfully visible in the sand; the dark material stood out from the light colours of the scenery.

Allura swiftly moved her eyes to look around; it was so peaceful here that it seemed as if the world had stopped. The sun layed low on the sky, almost touching the liquids far, far way, painting the sky red and orange. Was it day right now? She didn't know, and now was not the time to ask either.

"Lance!" Keith yelled, more to himself than to the actual person, running even faster now. Stripes of steam oozed from the pod ahead of them.

The red paladin shoved his sword in between the doors and kicked it open. More steam.

Keith was silent for a second before he jumped into the capsule.

When Allura caught up and swung her head to look inside, she saw Keith with his head close to Lances, mumbling something she couldn't catch.

It was him.

It was Lance.

It certainly was Lance, there was no doubt; he was real, and he was alive.

In the capsule, he was tied up in a seat. However, unconscious. Keith tried to talk him back to consciousness, and it seemed to work. Little by little, Lance seemed to get back to them.

Allura couldn't shake off this uneasiness, no matter how happy she was to finally find her missing paladin. To find him alive, and in one piece. It was hard to believe; something must be wrong.

Lance was wearing the same uniform as in the video with Lotor.

Except the fact that this uniform did not have a major cut in the chest. It was the same, but not damaged. No human blood.

"K-keith..?"

"LANCE!" the red paladin smiled and leaped in for a hug. It was obvious that the missing paladin did not see that coming.

"Why are you guys here?" Lance asked. His voice was confused.

It sounded cold.

Keith pulled out of the hug, and looked at the paladin he finally got to reunite with.

"What do you mean? We are here to get you back!" Keith felt accused.

"No. No, nononono why did you leave the battle? Why are you here, you should be fighting! You don't need me, go back!" Lance untied himself, stood up in the capsule and began walking toward Keith. Keith backed out of the capsule.

"Why are you mad? We are here to save you! We need you to form Volt-"

"NO YOU DON'T."

Keith was silent. Allura held her breath.

Now they were all outside on the beach. The sun was setting. The sky was red.

"I SAW you guys. Even without me, you formed Voltron. Heck, you even formed Voltron MINUTES after you saw me die!"

Lance was screaming. Allura could clearly see the tears falling down his face. It looked like two rivers.

"You KNEW?!" Keith yelled back. He looked furious.

This wouldn't get them anywhere, Allura thought. She had to say something, get this on the right track.

She had to say the right words.

"Yes, I knew, 'cause it was MY IDEA. I know Allura don't like the idea of being friends with the Galra, or even making a deal with one, but I DID. And my plan worked perfectly." Lance calmed down as he spoke.

Something about the way he lowered his voice spoke to Allura as seriousness.

They were hitting a spot.

She had to shut up Keith before he riled him up again.

"What was that plan, exactly? We all saw you die; Hunk too. How do you think he felt?" Allura tried to take a step forward.

Relax. Be understanding. Don't say you understand him, because you don't.

Accept him.

"Even HUNK could form Voltron with that image in mind!" he snapped.

"-I made a deal with Lotor."

"I said that my team would be so unstable if I died, that they couldn't form Voltron. You see, Lotor cares about the small details. He wanted to bargain with you; trade me for a lion, as you know. He knew you would deny his offer, so we went on with the idea to kill me.

Our deal was clear; if you guys didn't form Voltron, he would send me to Earth. You wouldn't know the difference between me back home or me dead, anyway.

If you guys were able to form Voltron despite me dying, he'd lock me up and pry information out of me."

They were silent.

"It was a moment of truth for me too, actually. It would show if you guys needed me, or if I really was dead weight. My death didn't seem to be important enough for you not to connect.."

Lance bent over to pick up a handful of sand. Although he was wearing gloves, he seemed to get the feel of the texture. His smile was grim.

"If even Hunk can form Voltron minutes after seeing his bestfriend die, then I am truly without value."

He snorted in disgust.

"So no, I won't be coming home with you. Now go, or the Galra will get you."

Keith and Allura were standing there, speechless. Lance had planned all this? Was this how he saw his own team? Was this really how bad they treated him?

"Lance, we-"

 **"YOU ABSOLUTE MORON!"** it came from Keith. In unison, he and the lions leaped at the blue paladin. Lances eyes went huge as Blue jumped above him, with Red following.

"Why are you like this?!" Keith slammed his right fist next to Lances face.

He stared him down, and Lance could only avert his eyes after seconds. His eyes were still red, puffy and wet.

"Lance- I- You fucking.. Dude, I.." Keith lost words. Allura saw him sink down on Lance, his body twitching.

Lance didn't try to push him; they were just lying there.

With the huge lions trying to stay on top of them.

"I'm so sorry you feel this way.

"We need you- _I_ need you..

"Damnit Lance, I wish you knew how much I need you in my life..!

"Please come back to the castle..

"I'm sorry for taking your lion..

"Lance,

"I am so sorry you feel this way.

Keiths words seemed to hit a button in Lance. The paladin began to sob; his body shaking in sync with the red boy.

It seemed like both Red and Blue were using telepathy with Lance, only making him into a bigger crying mess.

"You are the reason we are in space, don't you ever forget that. You are great with our fans, your sniper skills are great – I saw you train the other day, it was great – you are great with words, I am so thankful for having you to drag me out of danger. Thank you for being my right hand, my-"

Keith kept whining in Lances ear while the Cuban sobbed. Keith nudged his face into Lances throat.

Allura were staying further away, staying sure that no Galra would interrupt this.

To think that Lances short time with Red had already created such a strong bond was amazing. To think the two lions he'd piloted would go to such lengths to get him..

He truly was priceless.

They needed their paladin back.

**Author's Note:**

> Hello fellow klancer! I already have this fic posted on another platform, but I am still very proud of it and want to share it here too! It was originally posted in 2018, a happier time. I love this dynamic of "lance being captured by Lotor" by ANY means, so I hope to keep writing this kind of stuff ^^ Although I love Lotor the way he was SUPPOSED to be, he's nevertheless a great villain.  
> also have a nice day, wear a mask and comment if you liked a particular part of this fic ^^


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